• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, May 13, 2008

In a surprising reorganization, WPP Group's GroupM unit named Alexander Schmidt-Vogel global CEO of GroupM Trading, a new position that will oversee all of GroupM's trading - or media buying - activities and decisions.

Schmidt-Vogel has been the founding manager and current CEO of GroupM's MediaCom Worldwide unit, and was the head of global media operations for Grey Advertising when it was acquired by GroupM's parent WPP Group in 2005.

In his new role, he will report to GroupM Global CEO Irwin Gotlieb, and COO Rupert Day.

Schmidt-Vogel will take on his new role over the next several weeks, pending confirmation of his successor at MediaCom, which was not disclosed. Last year, GroupM named Doug Checkeris CEO of MediaCom USA from CEO of MediaCom Canada, and he is considered a rising star within the organization.

In his new role, Schmidt-Vogel will be responsible for overseeing the media buying duties of all of GroupM's units, including MindShare, Mediaedge:cia,MediaCom and Maxus. Over the past three years, GroupM has already been developing strong local trading operations leveraging the "intelligent application of scale through the construction of trading models that maximize client benefit," stated GroupM's Gotlieb.

Schmidt-Vogel was named MediaCom's Worldwide CEO in 2002 after serving as chairman and CEO of MediaCom Europe since 1996. Prior to that he served as CEO of MediaCom Germany since 1988. He started his career as a media trainee at Gramm & Grey in Düsseldorf in 1976 before being named the agency's head of planning in 1980 and media director in 1986.